Chariots of Fire

Outstanding job of putting this all together. Weathering is great and the details are the way they should be. Thanks for posting!?

PETG material is the best in my opinion. 0.020" thickness. It has protective backing on both faces that need to be removed first. For flat surfaces it is stiff enough not to bend and can be cut with shears. Agree with sanding round corners rather than trying to cut them. The material is very clear and transparent. I use it for vacu-forming but for what you are going to use it for I would say it is perfect.

It's hard to read but that very sign is on the right rear of the truck body!?

Diamond T made some 12 ton 4x6 trucks during WWII that were initially built for the British to use in hauling around tanks to strategic points in case of a German invasion. They towed a variety of trailers designed for real heavy loads. This 1/76 scale build from Revell was a lot of fun to do. I added a few details like windshield glass, winch cables, concrete ballast to the truck body and movable ramps for the trailer. The markings are British and the truck is a model 981 instead of a 980 because there is a front winch cable as well as a rear one on the truck. It's also known as an M-20 Prime Mover. Paint is Testors OD and the weathering was done with Doc O'Brien powders and Tamiya weathering pads. The base is a bit curved because I put wet Durham putty on a practice piece of cardboard. Tried flattening it with some weights but to no effect. Permanent base will be better built on something that won't warp!

Did that cut and paste splice of the frame straighten it out any? Nice work that you're doing. Lots of little detail things beginning to show.

If you are talking about the cab corners, it is PVC water pipe. I sliced it lengthwise to get a section for each corner. The radius is based on the radius measured on the drawings of the truck and reduced down to 1/25 scale for size.

I'll check that out Bob. At first glance they seem just a little big but maybe not. We'll se. Thanks!

Not a bit of it, Bob. The tower has a 5 section ladder with the basket on the end. Mid mount to boot. Body is basically one of a kind so all will be scratch built as well.

Made a little bit of progress. I've been sidetracked by another project but should get back to this one soon. Got the rear steps to build and some added detail to the outside of the cab.

Photos are a blessing and a curse sometimes! The flaws show up so much! It's all about the learning curve, though. Little things like you mention won't be a problem next time around!?

That's some good work! Glad to see some different kinds of scratch building.

That is a hard thing to do, especially if there are continuous pieces that are separated by the wheel wells and cab. Had the same thing with the decals I did for the Pierce cab. Ended up taking the stripes off the rear doors to re-apply the decals. Just a little difference is noticeable for sure.

I'm fortunate enough to have an ALPS printer for decal work. Not only does it print gold and silver but it prints white also. The front of the Pierce has some gold lettering with a drop shadow that was done simply by copying the gold part and changing the color in the graphics program. The printer knows which colors to select based on what is on the screen. The fluer de lis and "Pierce" on the grill were also done on the printer.

I never did show the results of adding detail to the inside. Here's what is in the back of the trailer in the compartment area. Briggs and Stratton engine for the small fuel pump. The fuel pump on a platform that can be put on the ground, tools and tool box, gasoline filler hose.

Like Ace says. Just another tool in the toolbox. Can anyone explain the difference between a 3D printed model kit from one that came from injection molding that came from someone making the mold to begin with? Each came with an abundance of pre-kit work on somebody's part.

Bitter sweet, Jeff. I liked doing the military stuff. Different subject matter and D paint covers up a lot of "misteaks"!

Worked on the build a bit today. Snowed most of the day so it was a good time to settle in. Bumper is mounted and a few decals were put on.

Been using Sunnyscopa clear decal paper for years. Good stuff. Very thin but takes the ALPS transfers very well. You can clear it with Testors lacquer with no problem. 25 sheets 8x11 are not expensive. You want laser paper, not ink jet paper.

I just ordered a set from Amazon prime. Will be here on Thursday. Will let you know how they come out.

Bill: What will you use for the winch cables? I found some metallic embroidery thread works pretty well. Light enough to stay taut with the weight of the boom on it.

Looking good, Tom! Nice to be able to cast more than one part once a master is done.

We're back at square one and where I left off with the first cab. The second cab is nearly done. The interior bucket is installed but without the seats. All except the driver's seat need the SCBA bottles attached and then the seat belts installed. The steps are also yet to be done but progress has been made. The cab needs to sit lower on the frame so some adjustments will need to be made. For one thing the batteries are too wide where they are under the interior bucket. Some trimming with a dremel should take care of it. They won't be seen at all on the finished build. The front will be appropriately shimmed to be sure it is level. The turn signals also need to be filled and colored at the corners. Steps from the former cab were removed and will be rebuilt.

Nice work here. Looking forward to more pix!

I've used Molotow for small things with reasonable results but it can be tricky. Recently went back to Alclad over gloss black for a grill and it came out nice.

If one is careful you can heat the rod and bend it by using a butane torch but too much heat will burn it or catch it on fire. Just soften it a bit and it will take a reasonable bend. You can also try Plastruct in various sizes. They make tubing and elbows and tees that fit into the tubing.